Review: BBC PROMS: FIRST NIGHT OF THE PROMS 2025, Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall doesn’t need help looking good - but on yesterday's July evening for the opening night of the BBC Proms, it was exceptional. It’s a fitting venue for an event with as much cultural weight as the 2025 BBC Proms, still hailed as the UK’s premier celebration of classical music.

That status brings high expectations, not just musically. As classical performance continues to wrestle with relevance, accessibility and representation, the Proms are under pressure to lead this change. This opening night offered progress in places, but also showed how much further there is to go.

The night opened with Arthur Bliss’s Birthday Fanfare for Sir Henry Wood - brief but ceremonious.  The first real impact of the evening came with Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor, performed by Lisa Batiashvili. Batiashvili was in complete command - technically immaculate and emotionally magnetic.

This opening night saw the premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s The Elements, a BBC commission. Rooted in themes of chaos, environment and identity, the piece was bold and dissonant - albeit occasionally too elusive.

Wallen’s voice is exactly the kind the Proms should be elevating. She is eclectic and electric. I remember reading an article where the Guardian quoted her saying,  “It’s important to hang on to your worth.”  Her music does exactly that and so does her presence with this commission.

Musically, the night delivered. Sakari Oramo was in excellent form -  physically in tune with every shift in the programme. His presence alone brings dynamism to the room.

Beyond the music, there was little sense of change. The room - both on stage and off - still reflected an all too familiar picture. Despite attempts at broadening reach, the Proms still feel closed off to many.

Wallen’s commission and Batiashvili’s Sibelius reminded us that, at their best,  the Proms can be diverse and thrilling. However, as a whole,  the evening felt competent but conventional.

There’s clear ambition across the rest of this year’s programme, which is encouraging. But I wish the first night had reflected that same energy. A festival of this scale and history should be pushing things forward and setting the standard. That includes who’s in the room - watching and listening.  Because the most exciting way to experience music is in a space that reflects everyone.

The BBC Proms continues at the Royal Albert Hall until 13 September